The Amazon Echo Show is the greatest kitchen smart display in 2021. (2nd Gen). Although I prefer a 10″ screen, you can get by with an 8″ or even a 5″ screen. The Echo Show is a cook’s best friend, with built-in recipes, integrated shopping lists, HD movies, TV shows, music, and more. It’s almost sous-chef-level!
In-Kitchen Smart Displays at Their Finest
My wife and I like cooking together, and we’re constantly on the lookout for fresh ideas.
It was clear to us when we began our smart home project last year that we needed a display in our kitchen.
Which one, though?
If technology could just discover and show fantastic recipes fast, add goods to our shopping list, and keep us entertained while we cooked, that would be plenty.
We found that the Amazon Echo Show was the best fit for our needs after doing extensive research.
I can’t image cooking without it in our kitchen after only six months of using it.
| Echo Show 5” | Echo Show 8” | Echo Show 10” | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | |||
| Screen | 5.5” with 960 x 480 resolution | 8.0” with 1280 x 800p resolution HD video | 10.1” with 1280 x 800 resolution HD video |
| Speakers | 1 x 1.7” @ 4W | 2 x 2.0” @ 10W per channel | 2 x 2.2” @ 10W per channel |
| Camera | 1MP | 1MP | 5MP |
| Alexa Built In | Yes | Yes | Yes |
In this article, we’ll explain why the Echo Show is essential for any kitchen…
Display
While it may seem apparent, it is essential to seek for a high-quality smart display while searching for the finest.
A smart hub speaker simply doesn’t cut it in the kitchen, and we’ll go through some of the reasons why below. The screen is the deciding factor.
Each of the three sizes of the Echo Show is available: 5″, 8″, and 10″ The 10″ screen is the one I use.
The 10 inch HD screen was well worth the additional money since I needed something that could serve as both a TV and a sous-chef in the kitchen.
Even more so, given that a television alone would have cost at least $150. (There is more to the Echo Show than a simple television.).
The footage on the 8-inch and 10-inch Echo Shows is in HD. The 5″ doesn’t have this feature.
Assuming you can’t afford a 10″ monitor, I strongly suggest spending an additional $30 to obtain an 8″ display.
Don’t get me wrong, a 5″ display is preferable than having none at all, but I find it inadequate for watching TV or reading/watching recipes. This is only my own view.
Timers
When it comes to timers, I’ve found the Echo Show to be one of the best I’ve used.
You can start a timer hands-free while you’re in the middle of cooking. There’s no need to wash your hands beforehand or interrupt your preparations to set a timer.
In addition, you can run numerous timers at the same time, which is quite useful for me while I’m cooking. It’s not uncommon for me to have at least two or three different timers set at different times throughout the night.
If you want to know how much time remains on timer 2, for example, you may ask Alexa to inform you or show you how much time remains on the Echo Show display. She’ll then tell you how much time is left.
Recipes
The Echo Show has definitely stepped up its game when it comes to recipes and the formats in which it offers them.
Just say, “Alexa, give me a recipe for eggplant parmesan,” and you’ll be presented with a plethora of possibilities.
To make things even better, all of the recipes shared on the Echo Show have been thoroughly reviewed.
A step-by-step tutorial screen or a video of a person telling you precisely how to do it are available once you choose the one you want from the drop-down menu.
Just press the “Add this to shopping list” button, and everything you’ll need for that particular dish will be instantly added to your shopping list on the Echo Show.
Using the Alexa app on your phone, you may then retrieve this shopping list the next time you go to the supermarket.
Adding a recipe to your “Favorites” list makes it quick and simple to get it out the next time you need to prepare it!
Grocery list
My wife and I rely on Alexa’s shopping list almost every day.
We just say, “Alexa, add such-and-such item to our shopping list” if anything is going low or we’ve ran out of an item such as food or otherwise.
Our shopping list is then automatically updated by Alexa.
Using the Alexa app on any of our smart phones, we can bring up this shopping list whenever one of us heads out to buy anything.
We just cross items off the list when they are obtained, letting the other person know that the item is no longer required.
Despite its simplicity, it’s a very effective and exceedingly easy way to get results.
Compared to our prior method of hastily checking the fridge once a week immediately before we headed to the grocery store and handwriting a list, it’s a huge time saver. Something was constantly lost in translation!
As we run low on supplies, we’ve discovered that updating to our shopping list in real-time prevents this from happening again.
Movies, Live TV and TV Shows
When I’m in the kitchen for just an hour or more, I don’t need anything fancy; I already know what I’m making and how to make it.
The Echo Show’s ability to play movies, TV programs, and live TV is a great perk.
Some restrictions apply (no Netflix, for example – UPDATE: Netflix is now accessible on the Echo Show as of December 2020! ), but for my purposes, it’s more than enough. There are also a number of free choices available!
You may view over 215 live channels for free with the Steam Player, which has a wide range of channels available. Play CBS Sports on Stream Player with Alexa, just say that.
In the event that you’d like to watch a certain episode or film, Tubi provides access to tens of thousands of titles, many of which are free. “Alexa, play The Big Short on Tubi” is all you need to do.
Anyone with an Amazon Prime Video or Hulu premium membership may connect their accounts and enjoy all they have to offer on their Echo Show immediately.
That’s quite cool.
Music
Some days, all you want to do is cook and drink wine while listening to music.
The Echo Show features a wide variety of music to choose from (although there are occasional ads). Getting the music you want is as simple as asking Alexa for the name of an album or an artist.
Connecting your Echo Show to another music provider is an option if Amazon Music doesn’t contain the tune you’re searching for. You have these options:
- Pandora
- Spotify (requires Premium)
- iHeartRadio
- Apple Music
- TuneIn (no sign-in required)
- Deezer
- Tidal
- SiriusXM
- Gimme
- Vevo
If you need additional information on how to set this up, here is a fantastic piece to check out.
Beyond the Kitchen
In addition to the kitchen, the Amazon Echo Show’s capabilities extend well beyond.
Additionally, it performs its core role as a smart hub quite effectively.
Many additional smart home devices and automations work perfectly with the Echo Show in my house.
I can ask the Echo Show to lock the front door and turn off all the lights in the home, for example.
Using the Blink Home Security cameras installed around the perimeter of my property, I can even see live feeds from them.
Alexa’s Echo Show displays a live stream of my back yard’s lake whenever I say, “Alexa, show me the lake.”
A growing number of additional smart devices are being integrated into the Echo Show, so as you expand your smart home, the Echo Show will expand with you.
Conclusion
As a result, the Amazon Echo Show is the smart display for your kitchen you’ve been waiting for.
Not only does it look good, but it really works.
More than a thousand meals and a variety of entertainment options may be found in a single app. There is no better smart kitchen display on the market than the Echo Show from Amazon.
It has been more than six months since I’ve used this device, and apart from the fact that it doesn’t include Netflix, I have nothing negative to say about it.
What’s your opinion? What’s the finest cooking-related smart display out there?